Rome wasn't built in a day

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Our time in Rome was very limited (2 days) so we attempted so had a self-guided whirlwind tour to see as much as possible. We saw the ruins and ofcourse the Colleseum. An audio guide made it much more interesting since we were able to hear the history behind it all rather than just viewing the sites. Movies like ‘Gladiator’ will definitely be placed within a better context after seeing the Colleseum. What I found interesting was that each resident of the town at the time had their own names engraved into a marble stone, which represented their seat to watch the slaves and Gladiators fight. Even entertainers, and magicians were thrown into fight after their performances to spectators. Ofcourse, we had Gelato in Rome and needless to say, it was delicious. The Bed & Breakfast where we stayed at recommended the Bakery Café across the road for breakfast which included in our meals scrambled eggs, fried bacon, fresh cherry jam with focaccia bread, a coffee or hot chocolate and freshly squeezed orange juice – I could get used to this breakfast back in Sydney! On our second day, we visited the Vatican City. Ofcourse this is a massive tourist trap and there are a lot of ‘tour guides’ trying to harass you and chase after you on the streets trying to sell you something. We visited the Vatican Museum and our favourite was the Egyptian Art, with hyrogliphics and artifacts etc. There was even a real ‘mummy’ there displayed in the golden coffin. Rather than a skeleton, the mummy’s skin was still intact on its forehead and feet, maintained by the oils of the cloth wrapped around it for hundreds of years. There were also many Italian statues, baths, paintings and ancient maps. You could spend hours at the Vatican Museum and still not have seen everything. The staircases are grand, and the walls, floors and roofs are themselves are amazing works of art – gold wallpaper, painted images, mosaic tiles and marble transforms the museum into a work of art as an entity, rather than individualising the works of art upon the wall.



The Sistine Chapel was also incredible. Policeman stood at the front telling the crowd to ‘be silent’ as you aren’t allowed to talk inside. At the very top of the roof was Michael Angelo’s work. The whole room was so detailed, intricate, and creative. That pretty much sums up our 2 days in Rome. Onto Venice!!

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